Vietnamese Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich (R) and his Australian counterpart Christopher Pyne inked the Vietnam-Australia Declaration on Joint Visions for Enhancing Defence Cooperation on November 8 (Photo: VNA)Sydney (VNA) – Vietnam and Australia on November 8 inked theDeclaration on Joint Visions for Enhancing Defence Cooperation.
It was inkedby Vietnamese Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich and his Australiancounterpart Christopher Pyne before starting their talks as part of Minister Lich’sofficial visit to Australia from November 6-8.
Pyneunderlined the importance of the visit in the context that the two countries arecelebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 20th anniversary ofdefence relations.
He affirmed thatVietnam holds an important role in Australia’s foreign policy in the region,adding that his country hopes to further its ties with Vietnam, particularly indefence.
Lich, inturn, stressed that Australia is an important partner of Vietnam, while conveyinghis belief that his visit will be a success, contributing to the implementationof the bilateral strategic partnership.
Regardingdefence cooperation, both spoke highly of the results achieved over recenttimes, confirming that defence cooperation is a bright spot in the twocountries’ relations. They also appreciated the mutual consultations andcoordination at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of theASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
They agreedto maintain high-level delegation exchanges, intensify cooperation inaddressing post-war consequences, as well as share experience in corruptionprevention and information on flight safety.
TheVietnamese officer took the occasion to thank the Australian Defence Ministry fororganising training courses and providing scholarships for officers of the VietnamPeople’s Army, and for supporting Vietnam’s deployment of a level-2 fieldhospital to take part in UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
He expressedhis hope that Australia will support Vietnam in organising defence-militaryevents in 2020 when the country will serve as the ASEAN Chair, and that theOceanic nation’s defence ministry backs cooperative activities within theframework of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on dealing with post-war bomband mine consequences signed in March 2015.
Regardingsea-related issues, both ministers stressed the importance of aviation andnavigation security, safety, and freedom in the region, agreeing that disputesmust be solved by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especiallythe 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in particular.
“I believethat with the existing cooperation agreements and the freshly-signedDeclaration on Joint Vision for Enhancing Defence Cooperation, the defence tiesbetween Vietnam and Australia will reap new progress meeting the two countries’interest and serving peace, stability, and development in the region and theworld at large,” Lich said.
During hisstay, Lich and the Vietnamese delegation visited the HMAS Canberra.–VNA
It was inkedby Vietnamese Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich and his Australiancounterpart Christopher Pyne before starting their talks as part of Minister Lich’sofficial visit to Australia from November 6-8.
Pyneunderlined the importance of the visit in the context that the two countries arecelebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 20th anniversary ofdefence relations.
He affirmed thatVietnam holds an important role in Australia’s foreign policy in the region,adding that his country hopes to further its ties with Vietnam, particularly indefence.
Lich, inturn, stressed that Australia is an important partner of Vietnam, while conveyinghis belief that his visit will be a success, contributing to the implementationof the bilateral strategic partnership.
Regardingdefence cooperation, both spoke highly of the results achieved over recenttimes, confirming that defence cooperation is a bright spot in the twocountries’ relations. They also appreciated the mutual consultations andcoordination at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of theASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
They agreedto maintain high-level delegation exchanges, intensify cooperation inaddressing post-war consequences, as well as share experience in corruptionprevention and information on flight safety.
TheVietnamese officer took the occasion to thank the Australian Defence Ministry fororganising training courses and providing scholarships for officers of the VietnamPeople’s Army, and for supporting Vietnam’s deployment of a level-2 fieldhospital to take part in UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.
He expressedhis hope that Australia will support Vietnam in organising defence-militaryevents in 2020 when the country will serve as the ASEAN Chair, and that theOceanic nation’s defence ministry backs cooperative activities within theframework of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on dealing with post-war bomband mine consequences signed in March 2015.
Regardingsea-related issues, both ministers stressed the importance of aviation andnavigation security, safety, and freedom in the region, agreeing that disputesmust be solved by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especiallythe 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in particular.
“I believethat with the existing cooperation agreements and the freshly-signedDeclaration on Joint Vision for Enhancing Defence Cooperation, the defence tiesbetween Vietnam and Australia will reap new progress meeting the two countries’interest and serving peace, stability, and development in the region and theworld at large,” Lich said.
During hisstay, Lich and the Vietnamese delegation visited the HMAS Canberra.–VNA
VNA
